Socialization & Working in Groups

Question 1

Work Groups

Answer 1

• Two or more individuals engaged in social interaction to achieve some goal.
• Aims to achieve work-related goals, such as producing products or delivering services.

Question 2

Work Team

Answer 2

• Interdependent workers with complementary skills working.

Question 3

Roles

Answer 3

• Patterns of behavior that are adapted based on
  expectations about the functions of a position.
• Roles within work groups are often determined by factors such as formal job titles, status, assigned tasks, or specific skills.
• Work roles can be categorized into group task roles (related to task accomplishment), group building and maintenance roles (related to interpersonal relations), and self-centered roles (related to personal goals).
• Role ambiguity, stemming from unclear role requirements, and role conflict, arising from incompatible role expectations, can lead to workplace stress.

Question 4

Norms

Answer 4

• Rules that groups adopt governing appropriate and inappropriate behavior for members.
• Norms serve various purposes, including facilitating group survival, regulating production rates, promoting quality and innovation, and shaping group identity.
• They increase predictability of member behavior, ease group interactions, and provide a sense of identity for the group.
• Roles and norms together provide structure and guidance for group behavior, regulating activities and helping members achieve shared goals.

Question 5

Organizational Socialization

Answer 5

• The process by which new employees learn group roles and norms and develop specific work skills and abilities.
• New employees learn about roles and norms by observing and imitating others, as well as through reinforcement for appropriate behaviors and punishment for inappropriate actions.
• Organizational socialization typically occurs in stages: anticipatory socialization, accommodation, and role management, where newcomers transition to fully functioning members of the group.
• Supervisors and coworkers play crucial roles in facilitating successful socialization by establishing positive relationships and mentoring newcomers.
• Organizations can support socialization by providing good orientation and training programs, fostering openness in work groups, and facilitating mentorship between new and established employees.
• Effective socialization is associated with reduced work stress, lower turnover rates, increased organizational commitment, and greater employee career success.

Question 6

Basic Group Processes

Conformity

Answer 6

• The process of adhering to group norms.
• Violating norms can lead to pressure until conformity is achieved, maintaining order and uniformity in group behavior.
• Individual goals conflicting with group norms may drive norm violation, seeking recognition or advancement.
• Ostracism or resistance may follow extreme or repeated norm violations, with leaders having more influence in challenging norms.
• Past conformity behavior affects how norm violations are perceived within the group.

Question 7

Basic Group Processes

Group Cohesiveness

Answer 7

• The degree of attraction among group members.
• Cohesive groups are typically more satisfied, but their productivity may not necessarily be higher unless cohesiveness is work-related.
• Factors influencing cohesiveness include group size (smaller groups are usually more cohesive), equality of status among members, member stability, member similarity, and the presence of external threats.
• Cohesive groups tend to have improved outcomes such as increased member satisfaction, organizational commitment, and reduced absenteeism and turnover rates.
• Managers often consider cohesiveness critical for work group success, especially when it is task-related.

Question 8

Basic Group Processes

Group Efficacy

Answer 8

• A group’s shared belief that they can attain organizational outcomes.
• Individual members’ levels of self-efficacy contribute to group efficacy, influencing group cohesiveness and productivity.
• Research suggests a moderately strong relationship between group efficacy and performance.
• Group efficacy levels are a better predictor of group performance than the sum of individual members’ self-efficacy.
• Group efficacy also predicts levels of job satisfaction and organizational commitment.
• Leaders play a significant role in developing group members’ sense of collective efficacy.

Question 9

Conflict in The Workplace

Levels of Conflict

Answer 9

• Internal conflict arises when an individual faces incompatible goals due to conflicting roles, such as a business owner hiring her son.
• Interindividual conflict arises between two individuals, such as when two people compete for the same promotion.
• Intragroup conflict occurs within a group when one person or faction disagrees with the rest of the group, such as differing opinions on how to handle billing operations in a legal firm.
• Intergroup conflict arises between two groups within an organization, often seen during budget allocation when departments vie for limited resources.
• Interorganizational conflict occurs between different organizations, such as businesses competing for the same consumer market or conflicting over healthcare delivery methods.

Question 10

Conflict in The Workplace

Sources of Conflict

Answer 10

• Scarcity of important resources, such as money, materials, and tools, often leads to conflict as members compete for limited resources.
• Individual and group interdependence can create conflict when one group feels that another is not fulfilling its responsibilities, leading to potential delays or inefficiencies.
• The presence of a common enemy within the organization, such as during wage negotiations between workers and management, can exacerbate conflict by drawing groups further apart.
• Interpersonal conflicts between individuals who do not get along can disrupt the larger work group and escalate into conflicts between departments or groups.
• Certain individuals may be more conflict-prone due to personality differences, temperament, or a desire to gain at others’ expense.
• Age-related differences may also contribute to conflict, with younger workers often being more conflict-prone due to having less to lose and more to gain from conflict situations, as well as being more negatively influenced by interpersonal conflict compared to older workers.

Question 11

Managing Conflict

Dominating (Forcing)

Answer 11

• Persisting in the conflict until one party’s goals are achieved at the expense of those of the other.
• This can be labeled a win– lose strategy: One party wins, the other loses.

Question 12

Managing Conflict

Accomodating

Answer 12

• Giving in or acting in a self-sacrificing manner to resolve the conflict.
• This is a lose–win strategy.
• Often, this strategy of appeasement is done to cut losses or in an effort to save the relationship between the conflicting parties.

Question 13

Managing Conflict

Compromise

Answer 13

• Involves each party giving up something, resulting in a lose-lose outcome where neither achieves their complete goal.
• Compromise may not be suitable if both parties cannot afford to yield part of their goals, as it does not fully satisfy either side’s objectives.

Question 14

Managing Conflict

Collaboration

Answer 14

• Parties aim to collaborate and find a solution that benefits both sides, creating a win-win situation.
• However, achieving cooperation and mutual benefit is not always feasible, especially in conflicts over scarce resources where there isn’t enough to fulfill both parties’ needs.
• Despite challenges, collaborative conflict resolution is possible if both parties are willing to work towards it.

Question 15

Managing Conflict

Avoidance

Answer 15

• One party suppresses the conflict, preventing it from surfacing or withdrawing from the situation altogether.
• While this approach avoids open conflict, the underlying differences between the parties persist and may impact their ability to collaborate effectively.
• Avoidance may be suitable when the timing for open conflict is not ideal or when the conflicting parties require a “cooling-off” period.